Molecular biology workshop in Heilbronn: Students research live!

Molecular biology workshop in Heilbronn: Students research live!

Heilbronn, Deutschland - In the city of Heilbronn, the five-day MINT EC camp on the subject of "molecular biology" started today. Promoted by the National Excellence Network MINT-EC in cooperation with Experimenta-the Science Center, 16 students from different schools receive a practical and theoretical insight into the world of molecular biology. The camp runs from October 14th to 18th, 2024 and aims to deepen the knowledge of the participants about common molecular biological techniques.

The activities of the first day is an introduction to DNA's restriction geriac on the computer. The students practice how to deal with pipettes - an important tool in the natural sciences with which liquids are dosed exactly. A central element of the exercises is the application of the plasmid technique to clone genetic material in bacteria or to transfer certain genes from one organism to another.

practical workshops and exciting experiments

The participants also work on a PCR test (polymerase chain reaction) with a fragment of the Lambda-DNA. A small amount of DNA is reproduced to make it usable for further analyzes. Another step of the practical exercises is agarose gel electrophoresis, in which the students analyze the restriction geriac of the Plasmid PUC18 and the PCR product.

In additional workshops, the young people deal with the attachment of a culture medium for bacteria and clean both their PCR products and the plasmide. An exciting aspect of the camp is the league, in which the PCR products are combined with a vector, in order to then introduce them into E. coli bacteria using transformation. The aim of the workshop is ultimately the cloning of an exciting region from the bacteriophages Lambda to the PUC18 plasmid vector. This is done by insulation, duplication and manipulation of DNA and proteins, which illustrates the basics of genetic engineering.

In addition to the practical experiments, the students also get an intercultural insight during the camp. In a science dome show you will learn what role astronomy plays in Islam and the importance of the moon during the fasting month of Ramadan. This underlines the relevance of natural sciences not only in biology, but also in other disciplines.

The participating schools come from different federal states, including Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and even an international school from Turkey. Schools include the Graf-Münster-Gymnasium in Bayreuth, the Ernst-Ludwig-Gymnasium in Bad Nauheim and the Istanbul Erkek Lisesi in Cagaloglu-Istanbul.

This camp is not only a valuable experience for the students, but also part of the comprehensive MINT EC network. MINT-EC promotes scientific education in Germany and offers numerous events and funding offers for students as well as advanced training and exchange opportunities for teachers. The network with 342 certified schools now works closely with regional education initiatives and is under the patronage of the Conference of Ministers of Culture.

MINT-EC is an important player who awakens and promotes interest in natural sciences and technology. In order to learn more about the process and the experiences of the camp, pictures of the event and further information are available on request.

For more information, Jenny Bongards, the consultant for public relations and digital communication at MINT-EC, is available as a contact person. It can be reached at bongards@mint-ec.de .